Birmingham is a city full of talent and it’s not just the arts and sports but also great scientists and social scientists who have links to the city.
There have been several Nobel Prize winners with connections to Birmingham. From physicists to peace prize winners - they have had significant impact on humanity. Ten of the 11 Nobel prize winners from Birmingham are also linked to the University of Birmingham.
The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards given to individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine or physiology, literature, economic sciences and peace. The awards were established by the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel in his will in 1895 and have been presented since 1901.
The event takes place in Sweden each year and this year’s announce Nobel Prize announcements will take place 2–9 October. The award ceremony will take place in December.
Here are the 11 Nobel Prize winners who have links to Birmingham:
1. Francis William Aston 1877–1945
Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1922. In 1921 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society and was awarded the Society's Hughes Medal in the same year that he received the Nobel Prize. Francis Aston received many awards for his work including the Royal Medal, the John Scott and the Paterno medals and was the author of Isotopes and Structural Units of the Material Universe.
2. Sir (Walter) Norman Haworth 1883–195
Awarded (jointly) the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937. He held the post of President of the Chemical Society, and Fellow, and Vice-President of the Royal Society. He was also a Longstaff Medallist (Chemical Society), Davy Medallist (Royal Society) and Royal Medallist. The School of Chemistry has a replica of the medal, which alumni can see when visiting the School.
3. Lord Robert Cecil
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937. Chancellor of the University of Birmingham 1918–1944 One of the architects and greatest supporters of the League of Nations, later to become the United Nations. He is not just an important figure for the University of Birmingham, but his life and work had significant global impact, resonating to this day.
4. Sir Peter Medawar
Sir Peter Brian Medawar 1915–1987 Awarded the Nobel Prize (jointly) in Physiology or Medicine 1960. Joined Birmingham in 1947 as Mason Professor of Zoology Became the Director of the National Institute for Medical Research